Zack and Kelly's Apartment
by NoApollonia
Summary: This takes place the weekend after Zack and Kelly get married in "Wedding in Las Vegas". I rewatched The College Years and the movie recently and couldn't get the part where Slater tells Zack a few friends and some tools could fix up the crummy apartment over a weekend. It's short, but I feel it had to be written and it was stuck in my head. I don't own anything!
1. Chapter 1

"You're right - some paint, some tools, and some good friends really did help fix up this place." said Zack, feeling ready to fall over after a marathon weekend fixing up what he still couldn't believe was his and Kelly's new apartment.

"Told you, preppie...nothing we can do about the location, but at least it's finally nice enough for two of my best friends." said Slater screwing in the last new plate switch. "It really helped your parents let you have your bedroom furniture to help fill up the place."

"Nice call on that thrift store, Alex. I can't believe we was able to get a loveseat to go under that window so cheap!" called out Kelly finishing up the kitchen. "And it was so awesome of people to get us everything we could possibly need for the kitchen as wedding presents." Kelly walks into the main area of the studio apartment. "It really does look nice and homey now."

"Oh, you two deserve it!" squeals Alex, hugging her friend.

"Also thanks Leslie for the dinette set." says Kelly. "It really finishes off the area nearest the kitchen."

"No problem, Kelly. Just wanted to chip in before going back home for the summer." states Leslie who's been sitting off to the side watching others work while lightly dusting.

"I'm just glad Screech went home for the summer...I love him dearly, but he tends to make a mess of things." says Kelly. "I know he's your best friend, Zack, but..."

"We'll just have to make it up to him later." Zack states, collapsed on the floor. "He'll forgive us eventually. That and I know Linda Addington is coming back next year - hopefully he'll be too busy dating to bug anyone too much."

"It's hard to believe we accomplished so much here in two days!" says Kelly. "Thanks Mike for some of the heavy lifting! Those stairs are a doozy."

"No problem, Kelly. I'm going to miss you two around the dorm...ok more you and less Zack." Mike states jokingly. "Though you two owe us all pizza sometime for all this hard work."

"You got it!" exclaims Kelly. "You all are so nice for this."

"On that note, we all should get out of the newlyweds hair so they can enjoy their apartment. Though keep in mind, poker game next weekend?" states Slater.

"Sure!" states Zack shutting the door as the last friend leaves. "Oh whatever will we do, Mrs. Morris, now that we're alone?" Zack says with his usual smile.


	2. Chapter 2

"I can't believe you guys decorated without me!" said Screech. "I wanted to be a part of this too, Zack!"

"I'm sorry, friend. Just you had already went home for the summer and to that technology camp and Kelly and I wanted to get the place set up." said Zack. "We really couldn't wait all summer. You ended up being gone for two full months and classes are about to start back...think of it this way, you didn't have to put in all the hard work."

"Hmph, guess that's true." says Screech, realizing it's true. "I am not very useful for carrying anything heavy. But I totally want to contribute at some point."

"Tell you what, next time Kelly and I need something around here, we'll let you know." says Zack, shaking his head at Kelly as she enters the apartment. "Welcome home, Kel."

"Hey Zack, hey Screech." says Kelly, sitting down on loveseat by the window. "I see you made it back safely, Screech."

"Yep, Kelly. It was awesome." Screech notices the time. "Oh no Linda...I was supposed to pick her up at the airport..." Screech runs out of the apartment, forgetting to say goodbye.

"What are the odds he makes it to the airport in one piece?" said Kelly laughing and giving Zack a kiss. "So did you get any of the classes you wanted?"

"Decent since he actually remembered his keys this time. And actually yes. How about you, Mrs Morris." said Zack with a smile.

"All but one, but it was mostly a filler." said Kelly, getting some food out of the fridge. "So how do tacos sound for dinner?"

"Sounds good!" said Zack. "What can I do to help?"

"Set out the plates and shells." said Kelly, while browning the meat.

"Surely I can do more." said Zack. "I only cut myself once."

"Yes...and burned your hand twice." said Kelly with a laugh. "I promise to give you some cooking lessons, but the space is small and I already pre-chopped some stuff this morning in case."

Zack sets the table as Kelly finishes up dinner. "It's great we were able to get the same shifts for work." said Zack before taking a bite of food and chewing and swallowing. "We would pretty much never see each other except to sleep if not."

"True. Though Alex and Leslie are accusing us of already turning into an old married couple." said Kelly with a laugh. "Though it will be more fun having our own place than living in the dorm again, even if I miss seeing them more."

"I was hoping you would warm up to this place after our friends helped fix it up." Zack noticed they both had finished dinner. "At least let me get the dishes."

"Sure, hun. I wouldn't mind getting a head start on some of the required reading." said Kelly helping Zack move dishes to the sink before getting a textbook and sitting back down at the table with a highlighter.

Zack finishes the dishes and grabs one of his textbooks and sits on the loveseat to study, propping his feet on the trunk from his old bedroom that made a great coffee table. Zack looks over at Kelly lovingly and knows he wouldn't trade anything for his life together with Kelly.


	3. Chapter 3

"I can't believe we got snowed in...again." said Slater, walking in carrying a pie. "This is California! What's the odds it would snow two Thanksgivings in a row?"

"At least we were able to score a pie!" said Alex.

"Hey Slater and Alex." said Kelly from the kitchen. "Sit in anywhere you find a spot. Dinner should be ready in a bit." She checks the oven. "Luckily Zack and I wanted to do our own little Thanksgiving anyways and it's nice to have you guys over. Slater looks around and settled for sitting the pie on the trunk in front of the loveseat.

"Slater!" said Zack, coming in carrying ice. "It's good to see you." He dumps the ice in a bucket and buries some sodas in it. "Sorry our fridge is filled up with food Kelly's been working on. Plus we rarely keep sodas in the house."

"Kelly, is this pot supposed to be smoking?" asked Leslie, who had been trying to help Kelly in the kitchen.

"Let me at it." said Kelly, wondering how her friend grew up not knowing how to even boil some frozen green beans.

"Where's Screech?" said Slater, taking a seat next to Alex on the loveseat. "I figured he would be here already or did he make other plans?"

"He is spending it at Linda's house." said Zack. "He left yesterday before the storm hit. He felt bad, so him and Linda bought a pie to contribute towards mine and Kelly's Thanksgiving. So guess we have two."

"Oh right!" said Slater, remembering. "You know, it's almost weird not to have him around."

"At least he's not in the kitchen bugging Kelly." said Zack before walking over to the area near the kitchen. "Need anything, Kel?"

"If you would set out the plates, that would be great." said Kelly, pulling out the stuffing. "And someone needs to carve the turkey. It should be done cooling by now."

"I'll get the plates." said Leslie. "Zack, you do the manly thing."

There's a knock on the door. "Oh, I forgot I invited Mike." said Kelly, finishing up. "Will one of you let him in?"

Slater opens the door. "Hey Mike!" he said. Mike walks in carrying a dish of cheesy potatoes.

"I had no idea what to bring." said Mike, sheepishly. "It is my favorite."

"It's perfect." said Kelly, taking it and popping it into the oven for a few minutes. "You can never have too many potatoes."

A little while later, everyone is sitting around various parts of the studio with a plate. "This is delicious, Kelly!" said Alex. "You're so good at this!"

"You can think my mom. I've had years of practice." said Kelly, sitting next to Zack. "He sure doesn't mind." She pokes Zack lightly in the ribs.

"I help...when you let me." said Zack, a bit defensively.

"I know, sweetie." said Kelly. "You have the burns on your hands and arms and a scalded pot in the kitchen to prove it...and two cases apiece of food poisoning."

"I'll get it...someday." said Zack, taking another bite.

"This has got to be the coziest Thanksgiving ever." said Leslie, the only member of the group sitting at the table. She looks around. "I didn't mean that in a bad way."

"We get it." said Kelly, laughing.

"So Alex and I brought pumpkin pie...what did Screech bring over before he left?" said Slater, helping himself to seconds and tossing Zack another roll.

"Pecan." said Zack in between bites of food. "It looks delicious. Linda must have picked it out."

"Is there any food that doesn't look delicious to a man?" said Leslie, rolling her eyes.

A few hours later and most of the pie eaten, Zack and Kelly say goodbye to their guests before falling down onto their loveseat.

"So who's doing the clean up?" said Kelly, telling herself not to get too relaxed as the studio is a mess. "Everywhere is essentially a mess."

"How about I do it?" offered Zack. "You cooked and I usually do the dishes anyways."

"Who's putting cleaning the rest of our apartment?" asked Kelly, sleepily.

"Don't worry about it, I got it." said Zack, sweeping Kelly's hair out of her face.

Zack gets up and spends the next hour doing dishes and straightening up, being sure all the leftovers make it into containers in the fridge. Stretching and popping his back, he sees Kelly is fast asleep on the loveseat. He picks her up and puts her in bed before joining her for a late afternoon nap.


End file.
